Top Seven Restaurants to eat Thanksgiving dinner at in and around Des Moines

For those who are a smaller family who don’t want to cook a grand feast or for those who just don’t want to do all of those dishes on a fully belly, the following are the best places to eat a full Thanksgiving dinner without having to worry about having weeks worth of leftovers.

Chuck’s restaurant– 11am-2pm- Chuck’s will be celebrating their 25th year of offering a free Thanksgiving meal this year. They also offer delivery for those who are unable to make it to the restaurant by putting in a request by calling (515) 262-4605. If you’re interested in volunteering to serve the meal, call (515) 262-5187.

Machine Shed Restaurant– 10am-2pm- The Machine Shed will be raising money for the Wildwood Hills Ranch with their Thanksgiving meal and they are asking for a minimum donation of $15 per adult and $7.50 for children. All of the traditional offerings will be available including turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and of course pumpkin pie.

Triple Crown Eatery–9am-10pm- Prairie Meadows offers one of the most elaborate buffets in town but it’s also one of the more expensive at $24.95 per person. They do ask you make reservations to be able to skip the long lines by calling (515) 967-1000. This buffet offers every possible food you could want in terms of Thanksgiving foodS and other offerings like breakfast favorites. You will certainly get enough food to justify the higher price to eat here.

City Center Lounge–11am-5pm- Located in the Marriott hotel downtown, this Thanksgiving buffet is a great choice for a smaller group since this lounge isn’t very big and the buffet is on the smaller side in terms of choices. The food itself is very good though with sweet potatoes drenched in a brown sugar syrup that’s sweet but not too sweet and hearty stuffing that will stick to your ribs. The buffet will be $27 for adults and $14 for children. You can add another $10 to get bottomless mimosas to help make the holiday a little more fun.

Gateway Market– Gateway Market will bring the professionally made Thanksgiving dinner to you with their catering option. This is a wonderful option for those who want to host Thanksgiving at their homes but don’t want to actually cook it especially for those with a smaller group to feed. They offer options like parmesan creamed spinach and chocolate cream pies among many others. Call (515) 422-5108 to make your order.

Hyvee Market Grille– 11am-2pm- Hyvee’s Market grille is a good option for large groups that also want to keep prices reasonable. They offer all of the traditional foods and it’s consistently good no matter what Hyvee you end up going to. This is perfect for those who don’t want to venture too far from home but still want a good meal.

Mickey’s Irish Pub– 11am-2pm- Though a pub may seem an unlikely place to celebrate Thanksgiving, Mickey’s traditional Thanksgiving buffet will easily change your mind. This is a free meal but they do ask you donate to their favorite charity, Drew’s Crew that helps parents pay for extra curricular activities for their children like band or sports. You can also donate a food item such as a dessert in lieu of a money donation.